UTICA, NY - The No. 7 Utica University women's hockey team travels to the Nazareth University Golden Flyers on Friday, November 22, at 6:30 p.m. The Pioneers then host the Golden Flyers on Saturday, November 23, at 2 p.m. at the Utica University Nexus Center.
 
Follow Along: Friday game links: video and live stats. Saturday game links: video and live stats.
 
Last Time Out: One day after stacking up an incredible 15 goals against Hilbert, the No. 8 ranked Pioneers had an encore performance, recording a 13-goal shutout victory over the Hawks to improve to 6-0 on November 16. Utica once again spent nearly the entire matchup in the Hawks defensive zone, continuously holding the puck for long chunks of clock and managing to rack up an almost unfathomable 77 shots. The Pioneers, while recording over a shot per minute, saw many different players get in on the action during the 13-goal barrage. Ally Nolan (Westford, MA/Chatham University (NCAA DIII)) ended as the game's leading point-getter, scoring two goals and securing two assists just one day after earning her 100th career point. Riley Calhoun (New Hartford, NY/Plattsburgh State University (NCAA DIII)), Jordan Hancock (Albuquerque, NM/Belle Tire), and Carl Stefanini also had multi-goal nights, with each player netting two scores. Maya Jerome (Belleville, MI/Belle Tire), Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy (Belle Tire)), Autumn Mish (Long Lake, NY/University of New Hampshire (NCAA DI)), Molly Pedone (Trinity, FL/Shattuck-St. Mary's), and Angelina Garganese (Winter Springs, Fl/Florida Alliance) accounted for the remaining five Pioneer goals, as each player tallied one score each. Hailey Modlin (Phoenix, AZ/Boston Shamrocks) led the Pioneers in the playmaking department, getting three assists during Saturday's matchup. Seven different Pioneers registered two assists during the win. Lauryn Brown (Eden, NY/Syracuse Valley Eagles) and Alex Venning (Courtice, ON/Ottawa Jr. 67s) (Courtice, ON/Ottawa Jr. 67s) also combined for another Pioneer shutout. 57 of the 71 faceoffs were captured by Utica, with Garganese, Modlin, and Best all notching over 10 faceoff wins each. The Pioneers have now outscored their last 4 opponents by a 42-0 margin, while also sporting 46 total goals scored and only two goals conceded during their 6-0 run to start the year. The team has also engineered shutouts in five of their six matchups. Utica currently ranks top 10 in all of Division III for both goals scored and goals allowed (updated on Thursday), and could very well place tops in both categories during next week's statistics update after putting up 28 goals and allowing no scores this weekend.
 
In the Polls: Utica jumped one ranking from No. 8 to No. 7 in the newest USCHO poll. https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-iii-womens-poll/
 
Player of the Week: Kendall Best (Troy, MI/Troy (Belle Tire)) had a dominant weekend against Hilbert College, posting seven points off two goals and five assists in two games. She totaled 22 faceoff wins, recording 11 in game one and 11 in game two, staying consistent during the two games. Along with her points, Best accumulated a plus-8 rating in game one, which was the highest for any player on Utica and a plus-2 rating in the second game. In game one, both her assists came in the first period, followed by her goal in the third, leading to a 15-0 win. In game two, Best scored her goal in the first period of a 13-0 win, followed by two consecutive assists to cap off her weekend.
 
National Ranking: Utica ranks first in the nation with a .33 goals-against average and only two goals against in six games, which came against Elmira in a 3-2 win on November 2. The Pioneers also rank first in the country with 46 goals and a 7.33 goal margin. Utica is outsourcing their opponents 46 to 2, which currently leads the nation. The Pioneers' 67 assists leads Divison III, as mostly all goals this season have been assisted.
 
Scoring In Waves: The Pioneers have been lighting up the scoresheet, as they've outscored their opponents 42 to 0 since their win against Elmira. The team has also outshot their opponents 306 to 83. Calhoun, Nolan and Stefanini each rank nationally in goals. Calhoun has five, all in the past five games, which also leads the UCHC. She also has two power-play goals in league play, which is tied with Novtony for first. Nolan has four goals (all in four games) and leads Utica with 34 shots, while Stefanini has four goals in four games played.
 
Nazareth Scout: The Golden Flyers are 3-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in UCHC play. The team is coming off two consecutive wins against Manhattanville University (5-0 and 4-0) on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. Nazareth's only loss came to SUNY Morrisville on Nov. 9 (3-2). In that game, Nazareth outshot Morrisville 33 to 17, but Morrsivlle was able to make the most out of missed opportunities by the Golden Flyers. Abby Flanagan and Allie Zack lead the team with five points off three goals and two assists each. In the team's loss against Morrisville, Flanagan scored Nazareth's only two goals, along with three assists. Against Manhattanville, she totaled one goal, two assists and five shots. The team has only one power-play goal on 11 opportunities. Three different players are tied with three assists: Alexis Kindred (1g, 3a), Nikki Sharp (1g, 3a)  and Sami Quackenbush (0g, 3a). McKinley Hoff returns in goal for Nazareth. Through four games, Hoff has a .75 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
 
Nazareth History: Nazareth is 13-1-1 all-time against Utica. The Pioneers have been inching closer, falling in the past six games by either one goal or in shootouts. All six games came in two seasons (four regular season games and the two UCHC Championships).
 
Up Next: Utica hosts SUNY Canton on Tuesday, November 26, at 7 p.m. This will be played at the Utica University Nexus Center.
 
On Friday, November 29, the team travels to Tampa, FL, for the Sunshine Turkey Classic played at the AdventHealth Center. Utica will face No. 13 Norwich University on November 29 at 4 p.m. The winner of Utica vs. Norwich will face either Trinity College or Adrian College. The consolation game will be played on Saturday, November 30 at 1 p.m., followed by the championship on Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m.